Ship-lock lift



F. GBEMMELS.

SHIP LOCK LIFT. APPucAnoN man :uns 15. 1920.

1,392,638; Pamnti 001:.4, 1921..

'ter of this invention UNITED STATES APATEN IPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHIP-Loox LIFT.

Specification of Letters, Patent.

Patented Oct. d, 192i.

Application led June 15, 1920. Serial No. 389,258.

To zZZ whom Zt may concern:

Beit known that I, FELIX GREMMELS, a subject of the German Republic, and resident of Mannheim, in the German Republic, have invented a certain new and Improved 'Ship-Lock Lift, of which the following is a specification.

Ship-lock lifts must in certain cases be erected upon a rather small place, for instance in a rocky valley, where, besides the canal, also other tratlic routes passv through. The ship-lock lift forming the subject-matis particularly suited for such conditions. Another advantageof it consists in its independency of lchanges in the height of the tail water lever, `which can now easily be overcome.

`Theelift consists, generally, first, of two or more double-armed levers consisting in their turn each of an iron structure or girder-work; second, of the tank which hangs on the lower ends of said levers; and third, of a counter-poise which is supported by the upper arms of the said levers. These arms form each a kind of bracket carrying rails upon which the counter-poise may be moved along by means of a motor, preferably an electro-motor. The upper leverarms or brackets, as well as the rails, are curved upward in the direction to the ends of said lever-arms or brackets, their shape being such that the difference of weight resulting from whether the tank is still in the tail water, or already above it, is balanced by the position of the counter-poise with respect to the more or less oblique position of the levers.

An important feature of my invention is that besides the tank also the counter-poise is and remains always in horizontal position.

ln order to make my invention more clear, I refer tothe accompanying drawing, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 shows, by way of example, a diagrammatical representation of a ship-lock y lift constructed according` to my invention;

the levers, the tank and the counter-poise being shown in their two main positions, viz., the tank being in line with the tail water (full lines) as well as in line with the head water (dotted lines).

Fig, 2 is a plan oi.' the shlpdock lift, the

parts being represented in that llposition which corresponds to the full lines of Fig. 1. Y

- In the example shown, there are four masonry scales a, each ofwhich supports a double-armed lever (Z, Z1 by mediation of a roller-bearing c. in the same horizontal plane. Each lever consists of an iron structure or girder-work forming practically a straight arm Z exi tending in the direction to the tank, vand a curved or angular arm Z1 (the before-mentioned bracket) which extends practically in the opposite direction.

The arms Z of each pair of the levers at the head-water end, as well as at the tailwater end, converge, and the arms Z1 diverge (Fig. 2), and the distance between the arms Z1 transversely to the canal is such that the arms Z of the levers at the tailwater end may pass through between the arms Z1 of the levers at the head-water end, as may also lthe neighboring part of the tank.

The tank is suspended inbearings e of the lever-arms (Z. The distance between the bearings c, e in the longitudinal direction of the tank corresponds exactly to the distance between the bearings c, c.v The distance between the bearing c and the bearing e .of a lever d, Z1 is exactly the same with all levers, and it is thus obvious that the tank Z) remains in horizontal position at every degree of inclination of the levers Z, Z1.

The bracket-like arms Z1 of the levers carry upon their upper surfaces rails supporting a big counter-poise g having wheels fr. The rails are upwardly curved in the direction to the ends of the lever-arms Z1 (Fig. l). The distance between the wheels r, in the longitudinal direction of the canal, corresponds to the distance between the bearings c, c in the same direction, and as the lever-arms @Z1 are of equal size and shape, the poise g remains always in horizontal position.

The object of the poise g is to counterbalance the tank ZJ with its contents in every position. Al/Vhen it dips into the tail-water, or is lifted out of it, the weight acting at the lever-arms Z changes considerably, and it becomes necessary to counter-balance the dfflella This is effected by displacing Thesev four bearings are,v

g 'upon the rails f ofthe levermotor m, layl means of which at least one of y 6 the wheels 7' is rotated by the mediation of geared transmission wheels (Fig.` vl). The poise may thus be moved forward and backward Aupon-theV rails f whereby the active length of the lever-arms Z1 is changed.

10 Supposing, the tank, the levers, and the poise, be inthe position shown in full lines ins-Fig. lfand the poise be Ymoved from the left to the right, as indicated by the arrow,f -.then'thelengthv ofthe aotiveparts of the leverarms'd'l-inoreases in ro ortion to the head-waterV and ati-the Ytail water are notV 2.5` completely closed.

" The shape oftheends of the is such Athatethe counter-poise cannotleave fthe -rails f. Safety-abutments-may be provided to break the-electric current automati- 80 callyrwhen vthe wheels 1 arrive thefotherfend omt'heirrpath. Y

If-lwishlit to be understood', that I do not flimtrmyself -totheemployment of .only two pairs of levers, Such as d, all or similar ones,

at the one or $57y but three or morepairsf also arranged one f-afterithe other,;may be employed according mais length of` the ank to belinea in af p manner 1 described,

Having now, described my invention, what lever-armsV d? I desire to secure by a patent-of the United States is:

1 l. In a ship'lock-'lift,.fthe combination.' of pairs of similarly.-shapedlidouble-armed lepvers, of which one pair is 4located adjacent the tail water end of a canal and the other adjacent the head water end of the same; of supports for said levers; a tanksu'spend- Ved* from the corresponding arms of all of said levers; railsprovided upon the Vother arms of said levers; a counterfpoise'carried by said other lever-arms and `being adapted ,to be displaced alongsaid rails in horizontal direction; and. means for thus displacing said counter-poise. p

.2. In' a ship-lockv lift, inf combination: pairs of double-armed levers, ofwhich one pair is located at the sides of theftail water end of the canal and the other at the ,headwaterendof the same; supports forsaid levers; a tank suspendedirom corresponding pairs or" armsof the said levers, the respective leverarms from whichl said tank is suspendedebeing Vconverging and the other ure that the converging arms ofthe tailwater lever-'pair"may, together Awith the tank, pass through .the space between the 'divergingarms ofthe other lever-pair; a counter-poisearranged upon the diverging armsrof saidlever-arrns and adapted to be displaced along the same; andmeans for thus displacing saidconnter-poise. In testimonyvwhereofIaliix my signature in presence .of twofxvitnesse's. Y

.FELIX `GrltEMMlilLtl. QYVitnesses:v Y o i' Y R. MoULLE'r, Y FRIEDRICH LAMANN.

lever-armsA being diverging in sucha meas-"- 

